The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-08-27

last. like q ninny, consented to 60, ant
all the while MY conscience pricke'
me drcadfully. But / went, and
worse yet l wore Bernie's white rose
and while we were calling on lilo
Kitty's cousin asked me for it and
gave it TO him, just to vex Flo. be
cause she had flowers on, too, and h
didn't ask her for any.
l did not enjoy that day neverthe
less. We had delicious lunch. bu
to me nothing tasted well. and Kilt.
seemed too silly for anything. and a
for her elegant cousin from Paris. hi
was the most harmlessly idiotic young
man l ever met and by-and-by ! hap
pened to think that perhaps mamms
wouldn't like my spending another day
with Kitty, because she hadn't quite
approved of it the time before, so al
together l began to feel thoroughly
miserable, and you may be sure that
the next week hurried around to that
hospital, only stopping once, and that
was to buy q whole bunch of white
roses.
The sister who attended to Bernie
ward met me at the door. She looked
at me strangely, but at that moment
was too impatient to notice her. '"rve
brought Bernie some flowers" l cried.
Can take them to him now?' The
sister turned her head away slowly,
but not before l saw her eyes were
filled with tears. However. careless as
usual, l scarcely thought anything
about her evident sorrow, and az ain
asked hcr if l might see Bernie. See
him?' she replied. Eyes. go; he is in
there" pointing to room l had never
before been in. l entered it eagerly
with the roses in my outstretched
hands, and there. white as my flowers
and looking even more fragile, lay
Bernie, dead.
"You are too late" heard some
one say. 1t was the sister who had fol-
lowed me into the room. ooh, wont
you tell me about him?' l cried.
"When did he-die?" 1t seemed too
terrible. l could not understand it. !
had never thought he was so
very Ill. Then the sister told
me gently how for days before Bernie
had talked of his de brown lady"
the flowers she had promised him, how
as day after day and week after week
passed by without my coming he still
hoped for me.
He always said you would come with
the rose" said the sister. land finally
three days ago. when he became sudden
ly worse, he asked the doctor how long
he had to live, for the child knew in
stinctively that he must die. The doe
tor told him cheerily that he hoped to
have him very much better soon, but
Bernie shook his head. No. he said,
Twill never be well again, but do
want to live till Saturday, for I want
to see my dear brown lady. know
she will come and bring me a white
rose. She was coming long before.
but she couldn't She would have if
she could, but she couldn't Then.
tired out by his long speech, he sighed
YEARLY and soon fell asleep.
Yesterday he kept on growing
worse, and late last night we all
knew he was going TO die very soon;
and he knew ii, too for he turned to
me and said that he knew he was 60
ing away, and he wasn't to die be.
cause he suffered so much. My back
won't ache in Heaven, will it?' he
asked. l told him no, and then he
went on. I'm glad of that said he.
for if there was pain there I shouldn't
care to 90; but now | dom mind a bit,
but for one thing, and that is l want
to say goodbye to my brown lady
Soon after the critical moment
came. He suddenly rose in his bed
I'm going now he cried, weakly.
Say goodbye TO my brown lady for
me and tell her ] knew she would
come if she could, but she couldn't
He fell back on the pillow, his brown
eyes looking as bright and pure as an
angles, and then he murmured
softly again: She couldn't l know.
She would have if she could, and SO he
died.
The sister paused; her story was fin.
ished; but even had it not been she
could not have continued. for listener
and narrator were sobbing together,
and l think the grief of the frivolous
girl was deeper than that Of the meek,
good woman, for the girls heart was
burdcned with regret and rcmorse
both, and the faith Bernie had lad in
her made her feel all the worse. Fol-
she could have come and she dil not
so the boys trust was misplaced
But fortunately time heals sorrows
wounds, and though l do not forget
my boy. have found others who care
for stories and flowers; and il am
more faithful in my promises. more
than in the days when I knew Bernie,
the change is due to the souvenir OF the
roses that came too late. -Carle.on
Mrrick. IN Illustrated Christian Week.